“The whole history of B-Boy fashion comes from some kid who
co-opts something that comes from something totally different. Like
the kid who puts on his grandmother’s fur hat and wears it on
the subway. But because he carries it off, the next week everyone
goes out and buys one.” Mike D

A Grammy Award winning American hip hop trio originally from
Brooklyn, New York City, Beastie Boys, now comprising of Michael
“Mike D” Diamond on drums, Adam “MCA” Yauch
on bass, and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz on guitar, began as
a hardcore punk band in 1979 and made transition to hip hop in 1984,
following their experimental hip hop 12" “Cooky Puss”
(1983), which enjoyed average local success. Since 1986, the group
has released eight studio albums, four of which (“Licensed to
Ill” (1986), “Ill Communication” (1994), “Hello
Nasty” (1998) and “To the 5 Boroughs” (2004)) have
topped the Billboard 200 chart. They have also released four
compilation albums and twelve EPs. The Beastie Boys have sold well
over 22 million albums in the US alone and 40 million albums
worldwide. The group won their first two Grammy Awards in 1999 in the
categories of Best Alternative Performance for the album “Hello
Nasty” and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the
single “Intergalactic.” They picked up their third Grammy
Award for the instrumental album “The Mix-Up” in 2008.
Beastie Boys' latest studio album, “Hot Sauce Committee Part
Two,” was released in May 2011, and earned good reviews.

Brooklyn

Childhood and Family:

It was MCA (born Adam Yauch, on August 5, 1965) who had the idea
of starting a NY hard core band after watching Black Flag play their
first NY show at Peppermint Lounge in 1981. He asked friends Mike D
(born Michael Diamond, on November 20, 1966), John Berry and Kate
Schellenbach, who were all in another band called The Young
Aborigines, to join him, and Beastie Boys was born. The original
lineup consisted of MCA on bass, Mike D on vocals, John Berry on
guitar and Kate Schellenbach on drums. They played underground
clubs around New York and release their first EP in 1982. Both Berry
and Schellenbach had left the band by 1983. The group revamped with
the addition of guitarist Ad-Rock (born Adam Horovitz, on October 31,
1967), who had formed the hardcore group the Young and the Useless,
in 1982. The trio of MCA, Mike D and Ad-Rock remains together to
present day.

The Mix-Up

Career:

The original lineup of Beastie Boys released a first EP, a
hardcore punk titled “Polly Wog Stew” on November 20,
1982 on the independent label Rat Cage. The record, however, only
received small notice. In 1983, the group reformed into a trio
consisting of Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock, and released their first hip
hop recording, “Cookie Puss,” later that same year. The
title track became a hit on the New York underground scenes. By
1984, the group had made transformation from hard core to hip hop.
In 1985, Beastie Boys released another EP called “Hard Rock”
(1985), which was produced by Rick Rubin and released on Def Jam
Records. The same year, the band released their debut single, “She's
on it,” which was released on the soundtrack to the 1985 film
“Krush Groove.” The single failed to attract commercial
success upon its release, but the re-release of the single later made
into the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart in 1987 as well as reached
the Top 50 in two other European countries, Netherlands (#23) and
Germany (#44).

Also in 1985, the band got their first national exposure when they
opened for Madonna on her “North American The Virgin Tour”
and John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols band Public Image Ltd. They also
joined “Raising Hell tour” with Run DMC, Whodini, LL Cool
J, and the Timex Social Club.

On November 15, 1986, Beastie Boys launched their first Hip Hop
LP, “Licensed to Ill,” on Def Jam/Columbia Records.
Produced by Rubin and Beastie Boys themselves, the album peaked at
No. 2 on the Billboard Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums and was on the top
spot on the Billboard 200 from March 7, 1987 to April 24, 1987. It
became the fastest selling debut record in the Columbia Records
history, and has been certified 9x platinum by the RIAA. The album
also reached No. 7 in the UK and went gold in the country. “Hold
it, Now Hit it” (1986), the first single released from the
album, reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles
Sales and No. 55 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The
followed up “The New Style” reached No. 22 on the
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, No. 20 on the Billboard Hot
Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales and No. 41 on the Billboard Hot Dance
Club Play. The album produced three more American singles: “Paul
Revere” (#34 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks), the
crossover hit “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!),”
which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Brass
Monkey” (#48 Billboard Hot 100, #83 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles
& Tracks), as well as the UK hits “No Sleep till Brooklyn”
(#14) and “Girls” (#34).

Despite the huge success of their debut album, Beastie Boys faced
criticism from certain hip hop fans who believed that the band were
simply cultural pirates. They were also being attacked from the
right, who claimed the band's lyrics were violent and sexist.
Throughout their 1987 tour, they were annoyed with arrests and
lawsuits, and were accused of inciting crime. Following this, Beastie
Boys decided to renew their image and sound during the next two
years. In 1988, Beastie Boys became involved in a bitter lawsuit with
Def Jam and Rick Rubin that eventually led to professional
separation. The band then moved to Los Angeles, California and signed
with Capitol Records.

The sophomore effort “Paul's Boutique” was released on
July 25, 1989, and reached No. 14 and No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and
the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, respectively. The album was initially
considered as a commercial failure by Capitol because its sales
failed to match that of the group's previous record, and the label
decided to stop promotion of the album. However, the album's
popularity continued to grow, and it has been boasted as a
breakthrough achievement for the group. With “Paul's Boutique,”
the group cemented their place as critical favorites in the hip hop
genre. The album was certified double platinum by the RIAA in 1999.
It featured the hit single “Hey Ladies” (1989), which
peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, No.10 on the Billboard Hot
Rap Tracks, No. 18 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and No. 15 on
the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play.

Released on April 21, 1992, the third studio album “Check
Your Head” returned the band to the Top 10 of the Billboard 200
chart. The album was certified double platinum in both the US and
Canada. “Check Your Head” spawned the hit single “So
What'cha Want,” which peaked at No. 93 on the Billboard Hot
100, No. 22 on the Modern Rock Tracks, No. 18 on the Hot Rap Singles
and No. 26 on the Hot Dance Music/Max-Singles Sales. “Check
Your Head” was nominated for a 1992 Grammy for Best Rap
Performance by a Duo or Group,

Also in 1992, Beasties Boys started a Los Angeles based vanity
record label called “Grand Royal,” which they founded in
alliance with Capitol Records. Because of increasing debts, the
label later went out of business in 2001. The group also chose the
name “Grand Royal” for their own magazine.

Beasties Boys released the fourth studio album “Ill
Communication” on May 24, 1994 through Grand Royal. Produced by
the group and Mario Caldato, Jr., the album rose to No. 1 on the
Billboard 200, becoming their second album to do so, and also reached
No. 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It also had strong chart
position in many other countries like the UK (#10), New Zealand (#6),
Australia (#8), Sweden (#7), Austria (#10) and Germany (#11). The
album produced four singles: “Sabotage” (#18 Modern Rock
Tracks ), “Get It Together” (#5 Hot Dance
Music/Maxi-Singles Sales), “Sure Shot” (#48 Hot Dance
Music/Maxi-Singles Sales) and “Root Down” (#50 Billboard
Hot 100). “Sabotage” earned a Grammy nomination for Best
Hard Rock Performance. The song also received four MTV Video Music
nominations in the categories of Viewer's Choice, Breakthrough Video,
Best Group Video and Video of the Year. The group was nominated for a
1994 MTV Europe Music for Best Group. “Ill Communication”
has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

On April 2, 1996, Beasties Boys released an instrumental
compilation album, “The In Sound from Way Out!,” produced
by Mario Caldato, Jr. It peaked at No. 45 on both the Billboard 200
and the UK Albums Chart. The group returned with the fifth studio
album “Hello Nasty” on July 14, 1998 on Capitol. The
album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and also topped the
albums charts in the UK, Australia, Germany, Swiss and New
Zealand. It nabbed two Grammy Awards in the categories of Best
Alternative Music Album and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
for the song “Intergalactic.” Released as the first
single of the album, “Intergalactic” reached No. 20 on
the Billboard Hot 100, making it the band's third Top 40 single
there, and No. 4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks. It also peaked
at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, in which it remains to be the
group's biggest hit in the country. The song also won a 1999 MTV
Video Music for Best Hip-Hop Video. Other singles released from the
album were “Body Movin'” (#15 Modern Rock Tracks ), “The
Negotiation Limerick File” (#29 Modern Rock Tracks ) and
“Remote Control/Three Mics & One DJ” (#21 UK Singles
Chart). “Hello Nasty” received triple platinum
certification in both the US and Canada, and platinum in Australia.
In 1999, the band released the compilation album “Beastie Boys
Anthology: The Sounds of Science.” The single “Alive,”
a No. 11 hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, was nominated for a
2001 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

In 2000, the group had to cancel a tour with Rage Against the
Machine and Busta Rhymes when drummer Mike D suffered a serious
injury after a bicycle accident. The incident required surgery and
extensive rehabilitation. Later that same year, under the name
“Country Mike,” he recorded an album, “Country
Mike's Greatest Hits,” and dedicated it to friends and family
for that's year Christmas. Horovitz's side project BS 2000 released
“Simply Mortified” in 2001. After the September 11
terrorist attacks in 2001, the group organized and headlined the New
Yorkers Against Violence Concert in October 2001. “ In A World
Gone Mad,” the band's protest song against the 2003 Iraq war,
became the most downloaded track during April 2003. Later that same
year, the band performed in the 19th and 20th Tibetan Freedom
Concerts in Tokyo and Taipei and also headlined the Coachella Valley
Music and Arts Festival.

On June 15, 2004, Beastie Boys returned with the sixth studio
album “To the 5 Boroughs,” which was released through
Interscope Records/Geffen Records. The album debuted No. 1 on the
Billboard 200 with 360,000 copies sold in its first week. It also
topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was nominated for a
2005 Grammy for Best Rap Album, while the single “Ch-Check It
Out” received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a
Duo or Group. “Ch-Check It Out” reached No. 1 the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and the Canadian Singles Chart and No.
68 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two other singles from the album,
“Triple Trouble” and “ An Open Letter to NYC”
respectively reached No. 11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and
No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart. “To the 5 Boroughs” was
certified platinum by the RIAA.

In 2005, the band released a compilation album, “Solid Gold
Hits.” A live album, “Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!”
followed in July 2006. Their seventh studio album, “The
Mix-Up,” was released on Capitol on June 26, 2007 and peaked at
No. 15 on the Billboard 200. Consisting entirely of instrumental
performances, the album won a 2008 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental
Album. The track “Off the Grid” earned a Grammy
nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

In June 2009, Beastie Boys performed at Bonnaroo Music and Arts
Festival and appeared on the new single from the album called “Too
Many Rappers,” featuring Nas. The single was nominated for a
2010 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Beastie Boys' eighth studio album, “Hot Sauce Committee Part
Two,” was released on May 3, 2011 in the US on Capitol. The
album received positive reviews from most music critics, and reached
No. 2 on the Billboard 200, No.1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and No. 9 on the UK Albums chart. The third single for the album.
“Make Some Noise” won a 2011 MTV Music Video for Best
Direction and also was nominated for Video of the Year Award.

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